Review Details

Plastic Strainer

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Product Review (submitted on January 13, 2014):

I've been using this plastic strainer for kefir weekly for a year. I was new to making kefir, but had been making yogurt for two years (low tech, not in a yogurt maker). Before buying I wanted to ensure I be successful and happy making kefir. I tried three methods-- none was as easy or successful as the strainer. Initially, when working with small amounts of kefir, I poured the liquid in a shallow pool on a dark flat plate, and separated it by hand. Works well enough for small amounts. I then tried a finely woven cheese cloth (not the mesh type). This worked well when I wrung it, but removing the grains from the cloth was difficult and messy. I also tried a very fine stainless steel sieve I already owned. As noted elsewhere, the mesh must be fine, which occurs in only expensive sieves. Ditto for the fine mesh size. Plus, when scraping the developing grains off the sieve I worried I was mashing/cutting them and not retrieving them. True, I could have turned the sieve over and rinsed with fresh milk, but that would involved getting another bowl dirty and require more milk. I often let the grains sit for a few days in a small amount of fresh milk before starting another large batch. Not only does this strainer work, in a year of heavy use, it hasn't torn, deformed, or gotten funky. I wash it by hand right after using it. Go ahead and buy it when you buy your first grains.